By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 13:39, Monday, 08 February 2010

Aspiring actors massed at Carlisle’s Citadel Station over the weekend to take part in filming of a new television commercial.

Extras, from left, Simone Paterson, Steven Ramshay, Sarah Barnes, Rebecca Farrell and casting agent Phil McKay

Homes and gardens company Homebase brought the cameras to Carlisle station on Saturday to film scenes for a new commercial to be shown during the spring and summer months.

Filming of the advert will continue over the next three weekends, with as many as 750 extras drafted in from Cumbrian company Lakeside Castings to take part.

Phil McKay, from Lakeside, said: “The first I heard about the advert was on Monday, when I was asked to cast around 750 people in Carlisle in the next three weeks, which was a huge task to take up.

“It’s a big, big advert for Carlisle and gets a lot of people on to the film sets, and they really enjoy it.”

Homebase has not yet said what happens in the advert, but extras were asked to carry pots, plants and paints about the station.

One of the extras, 23-year-old Joanne Murray from Stanwix, said: “I’ve been pushing a lot of heavy items, pulling a lot of heavy items and walking up and down flights of stairs – but it has been a lot of fun.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, and it’s been a real eye-opener seeing how everything is filmed.

“I’m really interested in seeing how commercials are made.”

Another extra, Steven Ramshay, 18, of Kingstown Road, had also been an extra in recently shot scenes for Coronation Street.

He said: “It’s very different, certainly from my normal work in a newsagent. We had to do a lot of takes though – we were doing it all morning.”

First published at 11:25, Monday, 08 February 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk